At the top of your game? Time to start looking for a new job.

Compensation, lack of growth opportunities, a horrible boss. It is no secret that these are the top 3 reasons employees leave their current role and begin looking – actively or passively – for a new opportunity. Nothing inspires you to revisit your resume and reach out to long lost contacts more than hating your job, right? The downside to a job search motivated by a desperate desire to get out of your current situation is that you are no longer the one in control. You are suddenly at the mercy of the calendar, job boards, networking opportunities, and making contact with previous connections. As you find fewer and fewer jobs available that meet your expectations or skill set, it’s easy to become even more desperate to make the change. And what if those long lost professional contacts don’t return your phone calls or email? How will you get your name in front of a hiring manager if you can’t leverage your “in” at the company? Perhaps you should try something different.

What would your job search be like if you were not working against the tides of time and other peoples’ responses? What would your job search be like if it began while you were working away in your current position pleased with your compensation package, alongside an excellent team, under strong leadership, and with a clear trajectory up the corporate ladder?

What if you embarked upon a job search when you are at the top of your game?

5 reasons why you should look for a job even if you like your current one

1. Companies love passive candidates. Companies love passive candidates. Companies often believe, whether it’s true or not, that the most skilled workers are the ones happy with their roles and not looking for a new job. However, smart professionals know it’s important to keep a pulse on the job market. They know it’s essential to keep an eye out for new opportunities that will advance their careers. Using social media, companies attract passive candidates like you who are casually perusing a job board, skimming through Tweets, Facebook posts, or LinkedIn company pages. Recruiters actively seek out passive candidates by scanning LinkedIn and attending networking events, looking for the perfect fit for their client . Simply put, they are searching for you.

2. Confidence: Few things can chip away at your self-confidence like searching for a new job. Finding a job is very much about timing. A perfect storm of the right opportunity and the right connections must come together for you to find yourself in front of a hiring manager, showcasing your skills during an interview. If you are waiting for that perfect storm while barely keeping your head above water, your confidence in your ability to stay afloat will quickly sink. A lack of confidence will negatively impact your job search, in addition to spilling over into your ability to successfully manager your current position. However, if you are able to begin your job search while you are successful and satisfied in your current job, that confidence will resonate in the process.

3. Less pressure: Even the simplest challenges become insurmountable when we feel pressure- the pressure of time, pressure of success, the pressure of competition. A job search comes with certain unavoidable pressures, unfortunately. However, some can be avoided when you are able to passively seek a new opportunity. Knowing that you are content where you are allows you to worry less when new roles aren’t available or you are unable to get in contact with previous colleagues.

4. Your resume is shines: How important is a good resume? Extremely important. Your resume is what will get you past level one in a job search: the initial screening. While many candidates can highlight their accomplishments in previous roles, you will be able to highlight those that are currently in play. When you are able to show a potential employer what you are doing now rather than what you have done in the past you draw attention to the skills and experience you bring to the table the minute you come onboard. Professional sports teams recruit players who are at the top of their game because they demonstrate their strengths in real time. Team owners, managers, and coaches know that even without their influence, these players will dominate on the field. They are confident that once they add in their specific brand of training, that athlete will rise even further to the top. Employers want to hire the star players to join their teams.

5. Proof that you are a go-getter: Potential for growth is a key factor in determining job satisfaction, and, in turn, retention. Only 59% of employees say they can “grow and develop” at their organization (Modern Survey). During an interview, employers find this future-looking view to be an admirable quality in an employee because it indicates their desire to stay for the long term. However, how much more impressed is a hiring manager when an interviewee acknowledges that while there are great opportunities in the current situation, he or she wants more? Showing a potential employer that your ideas and aspirations go beyond what is currently available to you, demonstrates that you are a strong hire who will bring innovative thinking and enthusiasm to the team. While many will say they are leaving their current role because “there just isn’t enough opportunity for growth,” you can say you are leaving your current role because the “opportunities aren’t big enough for all you have to offer.”

So what’s stopping you from launching your job search today?

About the Authors

Ken Schmitt is the President and Founder of TurningPoint Executive Search and the Sales Leadership Alliance. Specializing in placing sales, marketing and operations professionals across the country, Ken’s 16 years of recruiting experience have equipped him with the knowledge to serve as a thought partner to his clients for all recruiting, hiring and human capital-related initiatives. Ken sits on the board of Junior Achievement, the American Marketing Association, the San Diego HR Roundtable and is an Advisory Board Member for San Diego Sports Innovators (SDSI).

Vicky Willenberg has served as the Social Media Manager for TurningPoint since 2011. In 2014, she was elevated to Digital Marketing Manager, broadening her participation across all things digital for the firm. A former teacher with a Masters in Education, Vicky is an active and published blogger at The Pursuit of Normal and a marketing professional. She has her finger on the pulse of the latest trends in the recruiting, hiring and leadership sectors.